Electric iron



March 25, 1941. KUHN ETAL 2,235,891

ELECTRI 0 IRON Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l UVT/EA"'OR5 FRANKKUHN LAURENCE HTHOMAS ){r iiluw A T OR/YE YS F. KUHN ETAL March 25, 1941ELECTRIC IRON Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 m 2 mm GU i W WQ Nmar" Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC IRONREISSUED Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application April 1, 1940,Serial No. 327,306

6 Claims.

In the development of many articles of commerce, including tools forindustrial or domestic use, the external appearance or ornamental designis an important factor. Such designs frequently follow some generalpattern or style, as for instance, the changes in designs of furniturefollow those in architecture, and in the same manner streamline designsfirst applied to high speed vehicles are followed in the design oi? manyother articles of manufacture. Such changes in external contour mayrequire the redesigning of the mechanical structure and frequently withadvantageous results.

It is the primary object of the instant invention to obtain aconstruction of electric laundry iron, which is adapted to a streamlineexternal contour. It is a further object to obtain an improved and novelconstruction having various advantages, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation;

Figure 2 is a top plan view with the handle partly broken away;

Figure 3 is a. plan view with the hood removed;

Figure 4 is a vertical central longitudinal section;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the handle with the cover removed;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the metallic 80 cap on the handle;

Figure '7 is a section taken on line 7-4 of Figure 2.

Electric laundry irons as heretofore constructed are usually providedwith a base or sole plate which is heated by an electrical unit placedabove the same and clamped in contact therewith. There is also a hoodcovering the unit, and a handle secured to the hood. Electrical currentis supplied to the unit through a conductor cord which is usuallyplugged into a socket on the hood in rear of the handle. Our improvedconstruction compises a base or sole plate A of conventional iormtapering to a point at its front end with arcuate sides and a straightline rear end,

B is the electrical heating unit clamped to the top of the base and C isthe hood. To impart a streamline appearance to the iron the hood C has arounded front or nose portion rising to a point less than half thedistance to the rear end of the base, and then tapering downward towardthe rear. It is also extended some distance beyond the base with itssides tapering inward, thereby further increasing the streamlineappearance. The handle D is also streamline having an upwardly andforwardly inclined por- MAY 10 1942 tion E at its front end, adownwardly and rearwardly inclined portion F at its rear end. and acentral hollow connecting portion G slightly downwardly inclined towardthe rear. These portions are preferably separate members formed of 5some synthetic molded material, such as Bakelite. The may be secured toeach other by a bolt H having its head in a recess in the rear member Fand its threaded portion H engaging a nut E embedded in the forwardmember E. 10 This handle together with the hood portion imparts astreamline appearance to the whole.

I More in detail, the electrical heating unit B is of the usual typeincluding a ribbon resistor and mica insulation. The unit is clamped tothe base 15 A preferaby by a sheet metal member I of similar form havingupwardly projecting reenforcing flanges I extending along its oppositesides. A screw threaded stud J is engaged with the correspondinglythreaded socket in the base and pro- 20 jects upward therefrom throughthe unit and the member I, and a nut J engaging this stud forms theclamping means. There is also a second stud K in rear of the stud Jthreadedly engaging the base A and passing through the unit, the member25 I and a transversely extending reenforcing member L. The latter hasan upwardly extending reenforcing flange L which imparts suificientrigidity thereto to clamp the member I and unit B to the base throughoutthe entire width. A nut K 30 engaging the stud K forms the clampingmeans and this nut also clamps in position a bracket member M used inconnection with the thermostat as hereinafter set forth. The hood C issecured to the base by a screw K the head of 5 which engages a conicalrecess in the hood while the threaded portion is engaged with the upperportion of the nut K.

The hood C has a central deck portion C beneath the handle D which israised above the 40 side portions at the rear end directly beneath themember F and tapers to merge with the side portions at its forward end.While this portion might be formed integral with the other portions ofthe hood, this would increase the difllculty 45 in manufacturing thehood from pressed sheet metal. We, therefore, preferably form the memberC as a separate stamping which at its forward end is provided with ahook C for extending through an aperture in the member C, 5 while at itsrear end it is provided with depending lugs C welded or otherwisesecured thereto forming internally threaded sockets. Screws 0* passingupwardly through the member 0 and engaging said sockets serve to clampdownward the 55 member C and in connection with the hook C securelyfasten this member to the member C.

The housing is completed by a bottom plate (I conical recesses in saidmember and thereby se-' curely holding it in place.

The terminals for the resistor of the electrical heating unit arelocated in the overhanging portion of the hood which is in rear of thebase A. These terminals are in the form of flat bars N passing throughan insulator block N, which in turn passes through registering aperturesin the hood C and member C. The bars N at their lower ends are bent atsubstantially right angles to extend forwardly and are connectedrespectively to the ends of the resistor ribbon B'. The upper ends ofthe bars N extend into a chamber F within the member F, which chamber iscentrally divided by an upwardly extending partition F separating thebars N from each other. The flexible conductor cord 0extendsthroughalateral opening in the member F into the chamber F andthe two conductors pass on opposite sides of the partition F and aresecured to the bars N by the usual clamping means. Topermitofmakingthese connections the chamber F within the member F isopen at the rear, but is normally closed by a cover plate F. Thispreferably has a snap-on engagement with the member F formed by a post Fextending rearward .within the chamber and provided at its rear end witha knob F The cover plate F has an inwardly extending lug F recessed at Fto receive the knob F and spaced spring arms F secured to said lug by arivet F are positioned for the knob F to pass therebetween. Thus,thesespring arms engaging the tapering shank of the knob, will draw thecover plate to it seat. The usual coil spring protector O is providedfor the portion of the flexible conductor cord, which passes through theaperture in the member F and extends outward adjacent thereto.

To secure the handle to the hood a grooved post P is riveted orotherwise secured to the hood to extend upward in central alignment withthe member E. The latter has secured to its lower end a metallic cap Ehaving an aperture E therein for the entrance of the post P and anarrower slot E extending from said aperture to the center of the cap.This forms a bayonet joint, the portions of the cap on opposite sides ofthe slot slidably engaging the groove in the post and thereby securingthe member E to the hood. The member F is secured to the rearwardlyoverhanging portion of the hood by screws which pass through aperturesin the bottom of said member, registering with the internally threadedlugs C Thus, when the cover plate 1" is removed, these screws may beinserted through said apertures and engaged with the lugs C to clamp themember F against the hood. Conduction of heat from the hood into thehandle is minimized by forming struck-up portions C on the member C,which have only a very limited area of contact with the member F. Also,the small cross sectional area of the post P limits the heat conductionfrom the hood C into the member E.

The rate of heat generation in the unit P is controlled by an adjustablethermostatic switch.

aesaee therefore, only necessary to split the resistor into twoportions, each portion having terminals respectively at the rear end andforward end. The forward end portions are then extended to thethermostatic switch, which may be located under the hood forward of thecenter of the base.

As shown, the forward terminals B pass upward through insulator sleeves1?, located in apertures in the member I and are attached to flexibleresilient strips 25 and B mounted on an insulator block B The strips Band B extend rearward from the block B at an angle to each other, sothat their rear ends come into registration in vertically spaced planes.Cooperating contacts 13' are secured to these strips so that whenengaged with each other the circuit will be completed between theterminals F The thermostatic bar B is preferably connected at one end toan insert B located in a recess in the base A and formed of materialhaving relatively high thermal conductivity. The ,bar B inclinesupwardly toward its rear end and is so arranged as to be warpeddownwardly by increase in temperature. Mica or other insulating materialB is secured to the underside and rear end of the bar B and the flexibleresilient strip B is formed at its rear end with a return-bent portion Bwhich extends in contact with the insulation B Thus, when thetemperature increases beyond a predetermined point the downward warpingof the bar B will, through the return-bent portion 13, draw the contactB on the strip B out of engagement with the cooperating contact on thestrip 3. The latter contact may be varied in position by lowering orraising the strip B which is accomplished through the medium of a rotarycam Q on avertically extending rotary post Q journaled in a bearing Q onthe bracket M. The cam Q directly engages a resilient bar Q which ismounted upon the block B between the members l3 and B and extendsrearward into registration with said members. At the rear end of the barQ is an upwardly extending and returnbent portion with a bearing Qattached thereto for contacting with the cam Q. This bar Q forms aresilient reenforcement for the resilient strip 3*, but is insulatedtherefrom by an intervening mica strip Q Thus, a rotation of the post Qwill raise or lower the strip B and the contact B thereon which willalter the temperature at which the cooperating contact will separatetherefrom.

The construction of the handle D previously described is such as toleave a relatively long space between the members E and F thereof. Thisaffords room for the adjusting handle of the thermostatic switchtogether with its indicating dial and also for a thermometer having anindicating dial. The dial for the thermostatic switch is preferablyformed by a circular upwardly embossed portion C which is concentricwith the axis of the post Q. This portion may be marked withindications, such as, rayon,

" respective materials.

silk, wool, cotton and linen, indicating the different temperatureswhich are best for these The operating lever Q for rotating the post Qis preferably formed to have a snap-on engagement with the upper end ofthe post. In detail, the post is formed at its upper end with a portionQ" reduced in diameter and a knob portion Q having a downwardly taperingshank above the portion Q". The lever Q is preferably molded fromBakelite or equiva# lent material and is recessed on its underside toreceive a metallic disk Q having a hollow hub portion Q for fitting overthe portion Q of the post. Above the disk (.3) the lever Q is furtherrecessed to receive a U-shaped resilient member Q having its arms onopposite sides of the axis of the post. Thus, when the lever is presseddownward on the post, the knob Q will force apart the arms of the U,which will spring together on the tapering shank and hold the lever inengagement. A flattened face on the portion Q" and a correspondingflattened key portion on the hub Q will serve to transmit torque fromthe lever to the post. The lever is also provided with an index point Qfor cooperating with the indications on the circular embossed portion CProvision is made for vertical adjustment of the post Q so as toproperly set the cam Q in relation to the strip B and arm Q of thethermostatic switch. This adjustment is formed by a bushing Q threadedlyengaging the bracket M and forming an end thrust bearing for engaging ashoulder Q on the post. Below the bushing Q is a U-shaped resilientmember Q sleeved on the post and having its lower arm positioned by across pin Q Thus, by rotating the bushing Q the post may be raised orlowered, thereby setting the switch to correspond with the indications.

While the thermostatic switch controls the heat generation in theelectrical unit, it does not in itself indicate the temperature of theworking surface of the iron, which may vary in accordance with differentconditions in the work. We, therefore, preferably provide a thermometerlocated in rear of the thermostatic switch and, as shown, constructed asfollows. R is a post having secured to its lower end a spiralthermostatic member R located in a recess R in the base A. The outer endof this spiral is formed into a coil R which engages a recess Rintersecting the recess B. This forms an anchor connection which holdsthe spiral portion free within the recess R The post R extends upwardthrough registering apertures in the hood C and portion 0' and hasattached to its upper end an index hand R This index hand is located inthe space between the hood C and the member C and co-operates with adial member having indications corresponding to those on the embossedportion C The dial may be formed of a member R having upwardly extendingmarginal flanges R which are pressed against the underside of the memberC by a spring R beneath the member B. This spring has downwardlyextending prongs R engaging apertures in the hood 0 so as to properlylocate the member R The member C has a window opening registering withthe dial in the member R and surrounded by an upwardly and inwardlyextending marginal flange R This is adapted to receive a glass or othertransparent panel which is held in position by the flanges of the memberIt therebeneath. With the construction as just described, the operatorby observing the position of the index hand R. will be informed as towhether the setting of the thermostatic switch is best suited to thecondition 01' the work.

A laundry iron constructed as above described, not only has a veryattractive appearance, but also has various advantageous features. Oneadvantage is that the construction is relatively light. In former timesit was supposed that weight in an iron was advantageous, but it is nowunderstood that it is not necessary to proper performance. In ourconstruction most of the mass of the iron is located in the base, theother elements being largely formed from comparatively thin pressedsheet metal. Also, the handle having the hollow portion G and thechambered rear member F adds but little weight. Another advantage isthat the handle is formed of insulating material which diminishes dangerof electrical shock to the operator in case of any current leakage.Conduction of heat to the handle is comparatively slight on account ofthe small contact area between the same and the hood. The combination ofthe thermometer having visual indications with the adjustablethermostatic switch, enables the operator to accurately adjust heatgeneration to suit the condition of the work being operated upon. Also,the construction of the hood having the overhanging rearwardly extendingportion, together with the construction of the handle affords abundantspace beneath the handle for location of both of the dials, respectivelyfor the thermostatic switch and the thermometer. The central splittingof the resistor facilitates the location of,

the thermostatic switch and its connections in the forward portion ofthe iron, leaving space at the rear for the location of the thermometer.The construction is also one which can be manufactured at relatively lowcost and easily assembled, while the recessed rear post of the handlecontaining the electrical connections and a removable cover therefor,facilitates access for repairs.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. An electric laundry iron of streamline contour comprising a base, anelectrical heating unit therefor above the same, a hood covering saidbase and unit and extending rearward therefrom to form an overhangingportion, and a ham dle connected to said hood including spaced c01- umnsboth inclining forwardly in an upward direction and having a handholdconnecting said columns inclining slightly downward toward the rear,said rear column rising from said overhanging portion and togethertherewith constituting a support for holding the iron when out of use inrearwardly inclined upright position.

2. An electric laundry iron of streamline contour comprising a base, anelectrical heating unit therefor above the same, a hood covering saidbase and unit and extending rearward therefrom to form an overhangingportion, said hood rounding upward at its forward end to a high pointforward of the longitudinal center of the base and from there slopingdownward toward the rear end, and a handle connected to said hoodincluding spaced forward and rear columns both inclining forwardly in anupward direction and having a handhold connecting their upper endsinclining slightly downward toward the rear, said rear column risingfrom the overhanging portion of said hood.

3. An electric laundry iron of streamline contour comprising a base, anelectrical heating unit therefore above the same, a hood covering saidbase and unit and extending rearward there from to form an overhangingportion, said hood rounding upward at its forward end to a high pointforward of the longitudinal center of the base and'from there slopingdownward toward the rear end, a deck rising above the central portion ofsaid hood with its forward end merging with said high point and fromthere sloping rearward at a downward inclination less than that of saidhood, the sides and rear end of said deck extending vertically downwardto said hood, an a. handle connected to said hood including spacedforward and rear columns both inclining forwardly in an upward directionand having a handhold connecting their upper ends inclining slightlydownward toward the rear, said rear column rising from said deck abovethe overhanging portion of said hood.

4. An electric laundry iron of streamline contour comprising a base, anelectrical heating unit above said base, a hood covering said base andheating unit rounding upward from its forward end to a high pointforward of the longitudinal center of said base and from there slopingdownward toward the rear extending beyond the base to form anoverhanging portion, a deck rising above the central portion of saidhood with its forward end merging with said high point and from theresloping rearward at a downward inclination less than that of said hood,the sides and rear end of said deck extending vertically downward tosaid hood and forming between the latter and said deck a heat insulatedair chamber, a bottom plate for the overhanging portion of said hood,and a handle connected to said hood including spaced forward and rearcolumns both inclining forwardly in an upward direction and having ahandhold connecting their upper ends inclining slightly downward towardthe rear, said rear column being hollow and rising from said deck abovethe overhanging portion of said hood, terminals for said electricalheating unit extending outward through said overhanging portion andupward into said hollow column, a flexible conductor cord extending intosaid hollow column and connected to said terminals, and a removablecover for said hollow column permitting access to said terminals andtheir connections.

5. In an electric laundry iron, the combination with a base and aheating unit above said base, of a hood covering said base and heatingunit and extending rearwrd therefrom to form an overhanging portion, ahandle connected to said hood having spaced forward and rear columns anda handhold portion connecting the upper ends thereof, said rear columnbeing hollow, open at the back, and rising from the overhanging portionof said hood, terminals for said electrical heating unit extendingoutward through said overhanging portion and upward into said hollowcolumn, a flexible conductor cord extending into said hollow columnthrough an aperture in one of its sides and connected with saidterminals, and a snap-on rear cover plate for said hollow columnproviding easy access to said terminals and their connections.

6. An electric laundry iron comprising a base and electrical heatingunits therefor above the same, a hood covering said base and unit andextending rearward therefrom to form an overhanging portion, and ahandle connected to said hood including spaced columns both incliningforwardly in an upward direction and having a handhold connecting theupper ends of said columns, the forward inclination of said columnslocating said handle substantially above the center of gravity of theiron.

FRANK KUHN. LAURENCE H. THOMAS.

